Daring Do: Loving Him
by Herr Regis
Summary: Daring Do is ponynapped and presented an offer by the evil Dr. Caballeron. One of the doctor's vengeful thugs comes into play and attempts to destroy the doctor's dream. Read and see what he wants, and if Daring Do will give it to him.
1. The Offer

**The Offer**

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Dr. Caballeron had lost the battle. He had taken some gold, but it was not what he wanted. Daring Do had been taken away from his possession, although in hindsight he did very little possessing. She had fooled him and his thugs completely.

High in his castle on the Smokey Mountains where he lived, Dr. Caballeron could see nothing but the outlying forest surrounding him. He held the heavy velvet curtain out of his way, standing closely to the thin window.

"Boss?"

Behind him stood two of his closest soldiers. They had come on all of his missions to acquire historical artifacts or other materials he desired. After several minutes of thinking, Dr. Caballeron replied to his soldiers through his foreign accent, thinking about his next acquisition.

"Are you two ready for an adventure? I think this one will be our last."

They stood back, accepting the challenge without knowing what it was. Leaving the doctor, he soon went to work planning out what he'd be doing next. The stubbly faced stallion took his leave from the window, trotting to his map room. Inside, across a massive wooden table he sprawled out a large map of Equestria.

"North-west of the Galloping Gorge, north-east of Vanhoover, right... here."

Dr. Caballeron located a space in a thick and far off forest. That is where his treasure of choice would be. For days he and his soldiers prepared for the mission, packing, training and mastering the skills they would need to attack and retrieve what their boss wanted.

This object had no physical value, but Dr. Caballeron promised payment in gold to his soldiers if they took part in this mission. It was personal.

"I've always wanted one of these, and I'm almost certain this will be worth the trouble."

The acquisition would be a lot of trouble, but luckily he had the pony power to manage such a feat. His castle hid many secrets, even some that his soldiers didn't know about. In his office, the doctor went through a hidden door and to a room no one knew about. It was the biggest room in the entire castle, and it only had one door to get in and out. This room stretched on for what seemed like a very long time, and it was full of treasure.

Precious metals, gemstones, artwork, fabrics and jewelry lined the room with such density that mountains of valuables were established. That room had taken years to fill, and now with it so stuffed, Dr. Caballeron didn't know what to do with himself.

He walked its length several times, spending the entire day in the room, looking at his past acquisitions. He found that capturing them was the fun of the game, and once he had them they gave nothing back. These things he'd stolen or found, they didn't do anything to help him live his life: they simply existed. Even after years of having them he realized that he never touched them again, he never even glimpsed a few of the things. The doctor had a big castle full of expensive things, but he had no use for it.

"A golden necklace, what am I to do with this?"

He threw it back onto the pile, upset that he'd taken it from somewhere. In the back of his mind, the doctor knew that there was somepony who could indeed wear it and put the necklace to the use it deserved to have.

As more and more days passed, the plan built until it was ready to be executed. Dr. Caballeron went down to his hidden treasure room several more times after that, going through all of his things and on one occasion crying. He had so much, the treasure room was full but he felt so empty. Obviously what he thought would make him happy wasn't.

Dr. Caballeron has fired all of his thugs and severed all ties with them, now it was only him and his top most soldiers. They knew this was the final mission.

Across from his office was the entrance hall, and there he turned on a record player of his. He had a collection of records, but he only ever listened to one. The loud orchestra was at its strongest in the entrance hall, and flowed through the halls like honey until it had reached the furthest corner of his castle.

"Boss?"

His soldiers walked up on him as the doctor got himself dressed, making sure his red and white polka-dotted ascot was positioned the way he wanted it to be. He nodded to his soldiers, ready to begin the mission.

"The time is now, let us go."

The journey would take all night long, and as they left the music continued to play. He closed the door behind him. Dr. Caballeron took a good look at his entrance hall, looking from the ceiling to the floor and nodding his head before he closed the heavy wooden door with a tight metal latch.

After hours of walking in the pitch black, he arrived at where he wanted to be. The forrest was dark and the three stallions could see very little.

"Hush! There is the target."

They all hunkered low and began their approach. The target was a house. Small and shabby, falling in on itself almost. The lights were on inside, and he could hear lite humming from the occupant. It was just past dinner time, and Dr. Caballeron figured the occupant was cleaning up or preparing to go to bed.

That's when he and his two soldiers struck. The two soldiers jumped through two closed windows. Glass shattered all over the floor and the only pony inside jumped away from the sink in startled surprise. The cider glass she'd been washing fell to the floor and shattered also, then two soldiers tumble rolled across the floor, each one taking their move on the mare. One was kicked hard, he fell back and didn't get back up.

The second soldier was able to get a bag over her head and tie up the girl's hooves. Slowly but surely she felt a rag go over her mouth and nose, and from there it was only a matter of time. The last thing Daring Do heard was some pony opening her door, and a second set of hooves walking into her home, his voice sounded foreign and she knew who it was: Dr. Caballeron.

Once she was out, the doctor paid his conscious soldier, and he departed. He wrote a note to the unconscious one and placed it under that soldiers payment. He would never see the two of them again. Loading his unconscious acquisition into a cart, and harnessing himself in, Dr. Caballeron began the trek back to his castle.

The walk was long and hard, especially the area where the road grew rocky and difficult to pass with a load heavy cart. The fact that he lived on the edge of a mountain did nothing to help his situation, as he had to walk up hill for at least an hour. Once at his door, he undid the latch and threw it open.

The music rang out down the mountain, outside of his castle. The doctor brought the cart inside and locked the door behind him. He went to the ballroom. It was large, the only room that had an open area big enough to keep Daring Do away from anything that could free her. There was a heavy metal chair in the center of the room, weighing several times what she did.

The doctor moved her to the chair, chaining her into it, locking the locks and putting a different bag over her head. The first one was cheap burlap, but the new one was black velvet.

Dr. Caballeron took the cart and the bag to an outdoor fire pit. He chopped the cart up and burned it with the sack and rope used to restrain the unconscious Daring Do.

The sun was just rising, but the doctor was going to sleep in his large and comfortable bed. He was happy that he was now alone without any soldiers around, and that he'd acquired what he was after. The easy part of his plan was now complete.

It was noon when Daring Do woke up. Her eyes opened but her body didn't move, she was unsure if anyponies were around her due to the bag over her head. She did notice it was soft, but that was the least of her concerns. After a few minutes she concluded she was alone. After a short struggle, Daring Do realized there was no way she was getting out of the chair in her current state. The chains were tight and she couldn't move at all.

After several hours, she was growing thirsty. It's one thing to ponynap a girl, but then to leave her in a chair in a big drafty room and not show up to give the common villain monologue? Ridiculous. After what felt like several more days she heard the door to the room open.

"Who's there?"

Afterwards she hung her head, as Daring Do sounded much more frightened than she wanted to be. After listening to somepony walk around for a few moments, get right up close to her, the pony left the room and closed the door. She sighed in relief, feeling completely helpless to this silent torturer.

Upstairs, Dr. Caballeron was having his own sort of panicked session. He was looking in the mirror, before him a bowl of water, cream and a razor. He was contemplating removing his stubble so his face was smooth and soft, but he wasn't sure that it was a good idea. After a half an hour of thinking, he eventually went through with it and shaved his face. Obviously he wasn't trying to remove his fur, so he only took away the untidy stubble. Now, with a clean face and a new attitude he prepared to start his sales pitch to Daring Do.

His first line of action was to cook a late lunch. He worked for a while preparing the meal, and it was the biggest one he'd made in a long time. He laid the meal out on the table, preparing two place settings at the opposite ends. On a different cart from the one he destroyed, the doctor transported Daring Do to his dining room, chair and all.

Setting her down, the doctor removed the black velvet bag from her head, placing it on the table. She squirmed, her eyes having to readjust to the differences in light. She looked out the many windows lining one side of the dining room, finding that from the view they were very high up and in a mountainous area.

"Dr. Caballeron!"

She saw his face as he moved about the dining room, lighting two candles at the center of the table and also beginning to serve her the meal. She hissed at him with an angry whisper, demanding to know where she was and why she'd been taken.

"All in good time, please let me serve the meal and then we can talk."

The doctor served himself, sitting down opposite her and beginning to eat as she starred at him angrily. Her inability to move her extremities proved a major barrier in the eating process.

"When I'm done, I'll feed you too, you must be very hungry."

"Why am I here?"

"Well Daring Do, you're here for a couple of reasons, as usual, I want something."

"I figured as much you thief, why don't you just go ahead and take it, I don't have anything with me and I don't care to know where anything else valuable is, I gave it all up, I finished my books and I'm done."

"You didn't give up anything Daring Do, you still very much have the valuable thing I seek, and a few things in Equestria just can't be taken by a stallion such as myself, they need to be given to him. You have what I want, and I'd like to trade you for it."

"You're a thief, you don't trade..."

"No, no not anymore. I've stolen my share and I'm done pursuing silly golden trinkets. What I want is much more... fulfilling, and I have a lot to offer."

"I don't want your dirty treasure, it doesn't belong to you so you can't give it to me."

"I'll do whatever I want with it, and you shouldn't make assumptions, once you've seen my offering to get what I want, I think you might be moved to give it to me."

"What is it that you want so bad? You ponynapped me and brought me all the way up here to... where am I?"

"You, are in my castle, and soon enough you'll learn the terms of my offer."

After Dr. Caballeron had finished eating, he moved to Daring Do and offered her the food that he had made. She refused to eat it, likely assuming it was poisoned or some other ridiculous theory. Thirst had gotten the better of her, so she did drink some of his water.

The doctor left the room, returning with a white jacket. He put it on her and unchained her from the heavy metal chair. Daring Do tried to spread her wings, but realized the jacket prohibited her from doing that. She even went for a punch but found that hard to do as well. Even kicking was limited, although she was able to walk in slow shuffles.

"That's just to make sure you can't get away-" he stopped talking and his eyes fell to the floor for a moment, he seemed to be thinking but recovered quickly and returned to speaking, "-come on, I want to show you something."

The walk to his office was very long, and she watched as he opened the hidden door.

"After you."

Daring Do went first, and at the bottom of the stairs she entered his treasure room. She looked over the many piles and mountains of treasure: the wide multitude of things that he had taken one way or another.

"Do you like it? This is everything. I've got a few things scattered around the castle, but most of it is down here."

"The room is full..."

"Very full, thus my crisis, and now it's my offer."

Daring Do turned to face him, looking at the doctor straight on. She had no idea what he was talking about, but now she had a mission. If he had all of these treasures, she could steal them all back and give them to their rightful owners, saving the day yet again.

"So what is this deal Dr. Caballeron, just spit it out already."

"I said I wanted something I couldn't take, and that's because I want you."

Daring Do shook her head from side to side, laughing.

"Funny joke doc, now what do you want?"

He took half a step back, and the fact that he looked offended made Daring Do realize that the doctor before her was being completely serious.

"Look, Daring, I've got a lot of... stuff. But I don't want it anymore, I've got all this treasure down here and I didn't even need it. I've realized the fun is the chase, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I understand that part."

"Well the chase is over, there's nothing else that I can take, so I want something to be given to me in exchange for everything I have taken. Everything in this room, every last speck of gold and every last gemstone, you can have all of it. Keep it, throw it away, I don't care. I'm willing to trade everything in this room... for you."

"I'm not following..."

"I want a companion, it turns out gold isn't a very good conversationalist, but I'm certain that you are. I mean, who else could I go after? We're both in the same line of work, a lot more to talk about I suppose. You're an amazing mare, and I'd like to think I'm not too bad myself. All those times we faced off were pretty epic, so imagine what we could do... together."

"You'll give it all back to whatever pony you took it from?"

"If that's what you want."

Daring Do swallowed hard, it sounded like a good deal, but it put her at a hefty disadvantage. She was afraid what the details of his offer entailed, especially since by definition he already had her in his possession, so what ever he was expecting her to give him had to be clearly defined before she tried to run or submitted.

"Tell me, what is it that I have to do... exactly, be specific."

"I'm looking for a companion, the treasure that keeps on giving. There's no way you think I haven't noticed how beautiful you are, you're the only mare I've ever even considered to be worth my time. I know I'm not perfect, I steal, I lie, I cheat, and sometimes I'm a coward, but... I think that... I know that I'd try very hard to make myself as likable as possible."

"All you did was say that I'm beautiful, you didn't answer my question."

"I want someone to spend my life with! Is that so hard a concept to grasp? You're a pony, I'm a stallion, let's give it a shot, okay? If it doesn't work than fine, you can go home with the treasure anyway, all I need is effort on your part. Try me out, and I mean seriously try, no pretending, and if you like me and you want to stick around... I'd be really appreciative. If you didn't, as hard as it is for me to say, you'd be able to go and I'd leave you alone."

"So you want... a ponyfriend?"

"I guess so, I'm not really fluent with the phrases and what not, I'm just a stallion."

"That's a lot to ask for... I don't want a ponyfriend, I just... wow, that really caught me off guard."

"Come here."

She took a few hesitant steps toward him, and he removed a key from his pocket and took the coat off of her. It fell to the floor with a heavy thud, and Daring Do could finally spread her wings. Dr. Caballeron took a few steps back, smiling for a minute and then just standing there, waiting for her to say something.

"Just promise me you won't run away, I fired all of my thugs so I don't have the power to go after you."

"I'll... you'll get rid of all of this? All of the treasure?"

"Everything in this room, it's a lot of stuff, you're worth a lot more so I'm really getting a good deal if this works out."

Daring blushed, smiling and nearly snorting out of her nose.  
"Fine, I'll stay."

They went back up to the castle, and Dr. Caballeron showed her where everything was. She nodded, in an almost out of body haze as she followed him. She couldn't believe what was happening. Eventually he showed her to a bedroom, just down the hall from his.

"I'll leave you alone in here for a while, alright?"

"Thanks."

He closed the door behind him, and Daring Do stood in the center of the massive and heavy feeling bed chamber, unsure why she was doing anything. Across from her was a balcony. She went to the door, opening it. Standing on the balcony, feeling the mountain air, Daring Do couldn't figure out why she couldn't summon the power to fly away and escape.

She realized something on that balcony: she did want a ponyfriend. Living in the woods was a lonely business, and she only had one real friend: Rainbow Dash. A mare can only go so long without finding somepony to love her, and Daring Do had had quite a lot of adventures in her time.

She wanted to fly away and leave him alone, to come back and get the treasure when he was least expecting it, but she just couldn't do it.

"Daring Do, you silly little filly."

She couldn't manage to go. At the same time she wanted to make sure he was really serious that he wanted a ponyfriend and would give all his treasure for it, leaving her room, she was again surprised to fine he hadn't locked to door. She went to the room he said he would be in, and once inside she found him lying on his back, starring up at the ceiling. His head rolled to one side, and he saw Daring Do with her head down, looking embarrassed as she messed with her hooves on the floors.

He rolled out of the bed, standing in front of her. He waited until she looked up at him, wanting her to speak first.

"Were you serious when you said you wanted me to stay so you could... get to know me as a mare and not as... you know, your enemy or something."

"Absolutely, wouldn't be messing around with this sort of thing, it's personal to me."

"I just don't believe you."

Dr. Caballeron reached out with his lips and gave her a short and wet kiss. Daring Do took a step back, but after realizing what was happening and how very serious he was, she let him kiss her, she kissed back for the short moment he maintained contact with her, and when he broke loose the doctor took a few steps away from her, biting his lip and waiting for her to hit him. When he realized that her expression was a happy one, he spoke.

"I promise you I'm serious, I know you're strong and smart, I know you're beautiful and this is what I want, you."

His green eyes were telling the truth, and Daring Do quickly gave him a hug. Neither of them realized how soft and vulnerable she was to the power of love. She didn't love him yet, and he didn't love her, but all it took to get her wrapped around his hoof was to say he was serious and issue an offer she couldn't refuse. The idea of somepony offering everything they'd ever worked for in exchange for love was a very romantic gesture.

He thought for a minute he could manipulate her, keep the mare and the treasure, but he pushed that thought away. If he stayed honest, he could have somepony to love him, if he lied, he'd end up with a room full of cold and lifeless gold.

Later that day he cooked her dinner, and they talked about things not related to treasure. They talked about what she liked and what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

Before she went to bed he kissed her again, she took another hug. That night Daring Do couldn't help but smile to herself, she couldn't wait to tell Rainbow Dash that she had a ponyfriend, and that she was happy. Daring Do never expected anyone to want to be with her, but than again Dr. Caballeron never expected he'd feel lonely. Now they had somepony else to talk to, as long as things continued to go smoothly.

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	2. Paid in Full

**Paid in Full**

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The next day, Daring Do woke up to the sun pouring in through the windows of her prison. She didn't feel like a prisoner at all, in fact she almost felt like she was at home. She got ready for the day, spending a little extra time in front of the mirror because something inside of her wanted to look presentable.

When she went out to the hall, she found that his room was empty. Daring went down the massive grand staircase, and she found that he was downstairs, cooking breakfast for himself and her of coarse as he did everyday.

She smiled at him, leaning against the frame of the door as he turned his stove off, using a spatula to move breakfast onto plates.

"Good morning Daring, how was your first night here?"

"I liked it. Is that for me?

"Us."

They ate breakfast, and after that Dr. Caballeron made a few calls so that the treasures in his secret room could be taken away and given back to those that had lost them. While he was doing an inventory, the doctor realized that he hadn't stolen everything. In fact, almost a quarter of the treasure in that room he had found using his skills, not because he had taken them from somepony else.

"Daring, there's something I want to give you."

"What?"

While he was working to fulfill his end of the offer, Daring had walked around the property and went through all the rooms of the castle. She'd found that some of the rooms were in disrepair, and being a good pony she spent a little bit of her time cleaning up. She was just completing her self guided tour when she heard him call for her.

He was in the center of the ball room where she'd first been brought, and he had something in his hoof for her. He motioned for her to bow her head, and she did so. Soon enough she was wearing a very heavy golden necklace with pretty red gemstones in it.

"No I can't take this, remember what I said, nothing stays, even if it looks great on me."

"Daring, I was doing some looking and I found this way at the back of the room under a few other things. I didn't steal this one, I really did find it, when I was younger I did everything just like my professors taught me, then... I don't know what went wrong, but this I really did find, it's mine, and if you want it you can keep it."

Daring felt touched that he'd offer her something like this, especially since it wasn't stolen. She believed him when he told her he'd acquired the golden necklace the proper way on faith alone.

"I don't wear a lot of jewelry, you don't need to give me things."

She gave him a hug, took the necklace off and gave it back to him. She liked the gesture, but at the same time Daring Do couldn't be bought. He hadn't intentionally tried to upset her, but he very nearly did.

As the day went on ponies came up the mountain and began taking things away, valuable treasures being returned to their home.

Weeks more passed and the two adventure seekers seemed to grow more and more close to each other. Daring Do was hesitant at first, as she never expected Dr. Caballeron to feel attracted to her, and then act on that feeling and try and win her over. For a thief and not a very nice pony he was easily winning her over. Naturally the good doctor set things up romantically, the music he liked, the candles he lit and everything else Daring saw him do, it was as if he knew she liked them.

At one point while she was taking a nap and he was overseeing workers unloading some more treasure down the mountain, one stallion approached him. He wasn't a worker, and the doctor nearly fell over when he realized who it was. The stallion that had walked away after the mission to retrieve Daring Do had returned, and he didn't look happy.

"What are you doing here? I said after the mission you were to go somewhere far away!"

"That was until I caught wind that you were hiding a massive hoard of treasure in your basement, and then I heard you were giving it all away! What's your problem doc?"

"I'm doing what's right..."

"No, you screwed me out of a lot of money, and I'm here to take back what's mine. You like that precious little pony toy you had me steal for you? Well than you better unload some of this gold you've been hiding my way, or I might have to repossess her."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me you lying piece of garbage."

Dr. Caballeron tacked the stallion that was threatening him, and both of them rolled down the mountain, out of sight of the workers. They kicked and swung at each other for a few minutes, and eventually Dr. Caballeron got off a perfect punch, sending his opposition spinning around and down to the stony ground below.

"This isn't the last you've seen of me you big loser! I'll rip her right out of your stupid arms and bury her alive!"

The stallion stumbled backwards, eventually disappearing from sight and going far away. Dr. Caballeron feared he may have lived the life of a thief for too long, and that his past, although he had traded it for Daring Do, was coming back to him.

Dr. Caballeron went back to his castle as quickly as he could. He hooves tore up the floor as he ran from room to room, looking for Daring and wanting to be certain nothing had happened to her while he had his back turned. As he ran around a corner, Dr. Caballeron plowed face first into Daring Do, who had just been walking around the castle, trying to learn more about it. His face connected with hers as if it were a kiss, but the force was obviously too great and they both fell down.

"What's wrong with you? Is someone here? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Dr. Caballeron rolled back upright and stood up, looking up and down the hallway before checking another room. Daring Do watched on as the paranoid pony made sure they were alone. She figured he was a little strange, but these actions made her wonder what he was worried about, Daring Do wondered if he was worried she'd found something of his.

"I... I just got a little scared is all, nothing to worry about... I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes I'm sure."

The rest of that day was very strange for Daring Do. She went through all the rooms while the doctor was outside, poking to see if there was anything of his that she had missed. Even with her highly developed skills to search, she found nothing. By the end of the day Daring Do dropped the idea that he were hiding a material object from her.

After dinner, Daring was walking through the castle yet again, she stopped, seeing the doctor lying on his back on a couch, rubbing his forehead. She went in to see him, standing in front of the couch silently until he noticed she was standing there.

"Daring, it's late, aren't you tired?"

"Can I sit with you?"

He nodded, and she curled up beside him on the couch, pressing against his side the full length of both of their bodies. He tossed a hoof over her and held the mare closer to him, closing his eyes and sighing.

"What's on your mind? Don't lie to me."

"When I filled that room downstairs, I didn't tell anypony about it. Now that I'm emptying the room for you, one of my thugs realized I might have... held out on him. He showed up today and he threatened me."

"You lied to your thugs too?"

"I wasn't going to tell them where I kept all the stuff, or how much of it I had, they're just as bad as I am if not worse."

"You're not bad, you're one of the good guys now."

She looked around so her purple eyes could lock with his, and for a second she thought about punching him and cutting her losses. He'd given away almost everything he'd stolen, and there was absolutely nothing that was still keeping her there. She's been with him for several weeks, and was, in her mind, beyond the point of return.

"Will you sleep in my room tonight?"

Daring' heart nearly exploded. She was looking at him face on, and after the weeks she'd spent with him in his castle she could tell when he was being serious and when he wasn't, and he was being very serious. She starred at him for a while longer to make sure he wasn't going to change his mine, and the doctor held firm. When he realized she was in shock and wasn't going to respond with haste, he kissed her nose and gave her a hug. Over time his stubble had grown back, and at Daring's request he had kept it. She could feel the prickly hairs rubbing up against her, and she closed her eyes and nestled into the side of his neck.

"It would mean a lot to me."

Even deep in the hug with her eyes closed Daring Do couldn't think of a response. She simply nodded her head, and as it was pressed against his neck he felt the positive response. Later that night Daring Do went to his room first, feeling a little bit strange about sleeping in a different room, and for the first time in her life sharing a bed with somepony.

Once she was in, amongst the many thick sheets, Daring Do started to regret her decision to sleep in the bed with her new ponyfriend. It felt a little weird, she wondered how Rainbow Dash would feel about this, she didn't know. After a few minutes the doctor came into his room, and Daring began to squirm, she had no idea what she was doing and started to worry he would regret asking her. She worried about her breath, her mane, she was afraid. Dr. Caballeron got into the bed with her, turning the last light off and shifting closer to her.

At first, Daring Do moved away from him, but when he reached out beneath the covers to hold her hoof she decided that moving away from him wasn't a good idea. Bad guys don't want to hold hooves with anyone, so she moved closer to him. Soon enough she was lying partially on top of him, her ear against his chest as both of his hooves were wrapped around her back, hugging her as they fell asleep tangled up together.

"Are you still awake?"

"Yes, yes I'm awake Daring."

"I was thinking... can I give you a nickname? You call me Daring, so I just... I don't know I was just thinking about it."

"You call call me anything you want."

"Can I call you Ali?"

He nodded and gave her a kiss, and so they fell asleep that way. This went on for several untouched months, both of them growing closer and closer, calling each other by there nicknames. The treasure room was completely empty, Ali had kept nothing.

Daring Do was feeling much more at home with him, and on several occasions she had insisted she be taken somewhere out on the open where ponies could see them together. Although nopony knew who they were, it was nice to be able to go somewhere with him out in public and let other mares see a happy couple.

They had returned to her secluded home on several occasions as well, collecting the rest of Daring Do's things and bringing them up the mountain to Dr. Caballeron's castle.

In Ponyville, there was a different sort of tension brewing. It wasn't romantic, it was worry. Rainbow Dash had sent several letters to Daring Do as she always did so she could keep in contact with her friend, but no one had responded.

"What if the letters got lost Rainbow Dash? That happens sometimes doesn't it?"

Pinkie Pie was trying to be optimistic as Rainbow Dash sat next to her mailbox, waiting for the mail pony to come by that morning. She shook her head in reply to Pinkie Pie's conclusion, not wanting to except something so easy.

"Something must have happened to her! I'm certain, she always replies in a few days, it's been months!"

The mail pony came that day, and yet again Rainbow Dash received nothing. She was growing impatient. Rainbow Dash told all of her friends a few days later that she was going to try and find Daring Do, and when they told her not to she went anyway.

Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could to where Daring Do's house was. When she arrived and found it empty, Rainbow Dash fell into a panic and checked everywhere. Under all sorts of things, she found nothing.

"Where is she!"

Rainbow Dash found a note on the ground, and once she read it she knew immediately where Daring Do was. The note she had found war the note Dr. Caballeron had written the the soldier who had been knocked out in the struggle to apprehend Daring Do. The note said that he was no longer needed at the castle.

Rainbow Dash flew as high as she could to look around for what she was hoping would be a castle somewhere. She smiled when she saw a massive stone building jutting off of the Smokey Mountain, and she immediately flew in that direction, leaving a flash like rainbow streak behind her as she went. Rainbow Dash navigated the different clouds that were blocking her way, and she targeted a window. She wasn't going to stop, or to find out who lived there.

Rainbow Dash broke threw the window, glass and pieces of wood flying everywhere. She looked up in a amazement as she saw Daring Do's grey scale mane from behind, kissing in a large bed the stallion who she recognized to be Dr. Caballeron. Just as the two stopped kissing each other and reacted to somepony breaking through the window.

Rainbow Dash tacked the doctor out of his own bed, recoiling to punch him in the face with her hoof. Before she did Daring Do had jumped out of bed and tackled her friend off of the doctor, both of them rolling away.

"Can I talk to you?"  
Daring Do had a serious look on her face, and she grabbed Rainbow Dash's ear and pulled her out of the bedroom into the hallway. Dr. Caballeron collected himself and stood up watching as the two mares left his bedroom and went out into the hallway.

"What happened Daring Do? You haven't been responding to all of my letters, and I find you up here with the evil Dr. Caballeron?"

"He's not evil, and I'm sorry, when I went down to my house to collect my things I never checked the mailbox."

"But your house was all messy! He must had ponynapped you!"

"My house is always messy Rainbow Dash, and maybe he did ponynap me."

"Well come on, we gotta get out of here before he calls his thugs!"

Rainbow Dash ran down the hallway, but when she realized that her adventurous friend wasn't going to follow her she stopped, walking back to where Daring Do was standing, leaning against the door frame.

"Come on, don't you want to leave?"

"No, I don't want to go, I like it here."

Rainbow a Dash nearly fainted.  
"What?! You want to be held prisoner? And what was going on in that bedroom?"

"He told me he wanted me to be his ponyfriend, I excepted. I've been up here with Ali for months and I think I really like him. Why else would I be sleeping in his bed and kissing him like that... and you ruined it! I was almost certain he was going to say he loved me and you tackle him right out of his own bed!"

"What? Why would you want to be his ponyfriend? He's a thief!"

Daring Do explained to Rainbow Dash all of the things that had happened it the several past months. She had trouble believing that a thief could reform himself so quickly, but Daring Do told Rainbow Dash not to doubt his abilities, as it seemed the doctor could do quite a lot of things at the same time.

"Do you want to stay the night before you fly home?"

Rainbow Dash nodded, and Dr. Caballeron showed her to an empty bedroom. Rainbow Dash slept over the night, and after eating breakfast with the two she departed to return home. Dr. Caballeron and Daring Do watched as she left, and Rainbow Dash couldn't help but to look back and question the reality of what she he just seen.

Back in Ponyville, her friends were equally disturbed by what Rainbow Dash had told them.

"I know! Can you believe they were like... together? That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen."

"You have to admit Rainbow Dash, they both do seem very alike in their professions."

"I know Rarity, but it's so strange, he's ponynapped her on toe occasions, and she stills wants to be his pony friend, un-be-lee-vable."

Back at the castle, things were heating up. Over the coarse of their several months spent together in the castle, Daring Do was starting to realize that having a life partner, no matter what pony he was, was something that she really wanted to have. Having a stallion in her life just made her feel full on the inside, and Dr. Caballeron could collaborate.

He was completely right to think that the gold wasn't making him happy, because as much as he loved it, it didn't love him. Now he had something that could love him back and he most certainly didn't want to give her up over something ridiculous as a stallion's greed.

It was night time and they were sitting down in front of a fire, holding each other and cuddling. Daring Do never would have thought it, but she really appreciated the romantic gesture of being held by somepony strong and protective of you.

"I love you."

She didn't move, Daring Do continued to sit there as a small smile came across her face. Daring Do turned back to look at him, her eyes locking with his as her pretty grey mane fell in front of her face. Ali moved it away and gave her a kiss, which led to several kisses in repetition by the firelight.

"I know Ali, I know you do."

Days prior she'd told him that she loved him, and up until that moment she had been waiting for him to say that he was feeling the same way. Now that he had said it, things might go a little smoother in their relationship and it could progress.

"I think I'm ready to go inside Ali."

Daring Do stood up, taking several backwards steps towards the castle as he too walked with her, kissing her and making her walk backwards even faster. Daring Do turned around in a happy bounce, and in response the doctor bumped at her butt with his nose.

"You're a maniac!"

She turned her back, and he quickly pressed her entire body against the wall as he kissed her. She was between a wall and a very handsome stallion. They continued all the way upstairs to his bedroom, and soon enough Daring Do was lying on her back with Dr. Caballeron on top of her, kissing her neck as she squeaked with pleasure.

He looked up and made eye contact with her, giving Daring a very wet and passionate kiss. She reached up with her hooves and hugged him close to her chest, and he resumed kissing her neck.

"Be gentle with me Ali... I'm a virgin."

"Me too."

With that the kissing moved on to touching, and by morning both of them had discarded each other's virginities. They both fell asleep cuddling one another, naked beneath the tossed sheets of the doctor's large bed.

In a small town at the base of the mountain, the stallion had plotted his vengeance and was going to begin its execution the very next morning.

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	3. Repossession

**Repossession**

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When Daring Do woke up, she felt sore and the room smelt like physical love. She couldn't move because of the doctor's hooves, which were tightly wrapped around her shoulders, one of the stroking her mane. She sighed happily, smiling and nestling her cheek into his chest.

From the closed windows the sun poured in light, and Daring Do shifted her weight so she wasn't putting all of her body on top of the stallion beneath her. He yawned, and now she knew he too was awake.

"Good morning beautiful."

He reached up and kissed the top or her head, still caressing her mane with one of his hooves. She giggled, her cheeks blushing as she pulled her arm out from beneath the sheets and used it to prop up her head.

"Did you have a good night Ali?"

"That, Daring, was the best night of my life. I am so glad I traded all of that treasure for you, it was completely worth it-" he laid down on his side, also propping his head up with his hoof. With the other free hoof, the doctor reached out and cupped her chin, leaning forward and giving his mare a happy and wet kiss, "-I love you."

"I love you too Ali."

Daring went to get out of bed, but he reached out and stopped her.

"Stay here with me for just a little longer."

She smiled, roaming over and hugging her companion. She kissed him a few times, and he let her get comfortable against his chest as they cuddled beneath the sheets of a bed that was now theirs. After what felt like a few hours of curling in bed and whispering to each other the extent of their love, Daring couldn't wait any longer.

"I'm so thirsty Ali, do you think you have and cranberry juice?"

"Cranberry? I might... do you want me to go and get you some?"

Daring shrugged.  
"I'll go, just tell me where it is."

"The kitchen, it will be in the juice cabinet, you know the one with all the cider? That one."

"Do you want me to get you anything while I'm downstairs?"

"Just come back and let me hold you some more gorgeous, you're so sexy, I don't want to let you go."

Daring smirked, getting out of bed and putting his shirt on instead of hers. Her mane was messy, and in Daring's current state she looked like a hot mess, a hot mess who had spent the previous night having what she regarded as some very good sex. As she left the bedroom he blew a kiss to her, and then she was gone.

Daring made her way down the grand staircase, humming as she went and floating on air from the best night of her life. As she went to the kitchen, and found the juice she was looking for, there was a heavy knock at the door.

She went back upstairs with her juice, going into the bedroom and setting her glass on the nightstand.

"Someone's at the door Ali, I didn't answer it."

Dr. Caballeron sat up in bed, remembering what his stallion friend had said about ruining his life and taking Daring Do away from him. He sprung out of bed and closed the bedroom door, latching it closed and then locking all of the windows, covering the shades and locking the door to the balcony.

"What are you doing?"

"Daring, I live half a days walk away from everything, somepony outside is not going to leave. Remember when I said that stallion came by and threatened me?"

"Yeah I remember."

"He didn't threaten me Daring, he threatened you, he said he'd take you away from me. That's not going to happen, no way no how. I think that's him, he wants me to give him some of the treasure but I didn't, it's all gone now and since I can't pay him he's going to try and take you away and..."

"Ali! Ali please just calm down, he can't take me away, we could take him together. We could do anything together."

Daring reached up and kissed the side of his jaw, giving her stallion a hug before returning to the bed and drinking some of her juice. She didn't understand the power of the stallion that was threatening the doctor, nor did she understand how cunning Dr. Caballeron's former soldier could be.

Several more days passed, and the knock at the door fell into the depths of Daring Do's mind. She even began to question if she'd heard it at all. Dr. Caballeron's suspicion was slowly receding as well, and with the constant attention provided by his ponyfriend the doctor stopped worrying so much about retaliation and started worrying about satisfying his lover.

Daring Do wouldn't admit it, but she was a mare and rightfully so she was emotional, caring, soft and needy. Daring would pout, beg, and she constantly wanted to be held and touched. Over the months Daring Do had come to the conclusion that she was a mare, her whole life was focused on doing things that stallions were supposed to do, but she could be a strong hero and a sexy ponyfriend at the same time. Dr. Caballeron knew this more than any other.

Several weeks after the almost entirely forgotten knock at the door, another event occurred, late in the afternoon. Daring Do had gone down to the entrance hall to start the record player on Ali's request. As Daring walked back up to her ponyfriend's bedroom, she thought she had seen somepony.

"Is anypony there?"

Daring heard something break, something made of glass, and immediately she went running to the sitting room where the noise had come from. With soft jazz music flowing through the house, Daring entered the small and couch filled room to see the most shocking thing her eyes had ever dared looked upon.

Before her, she saw Dr. Caballeron pressing a different mare against the wall, she she was kissing him and giggling, Daring thought he was enjoying it, or that he was in fact the pony that had initiated the connection.

"What's going on here?"

The doctor pulled away from the pony pressed against the wall, and she slumped down to the floor and pouted, reaching out for his body with her hoof. Almost on cue, a small filly appeared from behind the couch, hugging the doctor's leg and exclaiming:

"Daddy, daddy stop!"

The fully grasped his leg and Daring ado could see in his eyes the complete fear his body and mind were registering. He looked up at her, and in Daring's purple eyes nothing but pure hatred and frustration, conveyed through his apparent betrayal lit up her soul. Daring Do was angrier than he'd ever been.

"Daring, baby, this isn't what it looks like..."

"So this is your new pony toy sweetie? Why can't you just stay with me and your daughter like a good father?"

Dr. Caballeron's eyes grew massive as she nuzzled into his neck, smiling and looking to Daring as she pressed against his side, acting like the only mare that belonged in his life, regardless of the pony he was sleeping with on a regular basis.

"You lied to me..."

"No Daring I..."

"You told me you loved me! You said you were a virgin, you lied to me! I gave you... I gave you everything! I should have known you were a liar!"

"Daring..."

"No! No more Ali... I'm done here, I'm just... I'm done."

She left the room, and quickly Dr. Caballeron ran after her. He yelled and shouted for her to stop, and soon enough Daring Do was standing outside, ready to fly away and brimming with tears. She couldn't believe that for a second she'd believed him, the first relationship she'd ever had was a sham, and the pony she'd trusted her body with was a lier.

"Daring don't go! I don't know that pony, I swear it!"

"You... she's your wife isn't she? That's your daughter, they both have the same accent as you Ali! You played me, and I was so lonely I didn't even see it!"

"Don't..."

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm leaving, and I don't want you to talk to me anymore, you've said enough, doctor."

"Please Daring don't leave me! I can explain everything!"

"So you do know her?"

"No! I just..."

"Goodbye."

Daring turned to fly away, but he shouted something that made her so angry, her hooves felt as if they weighed a million pounds. He shouted: "why are you acting like such a bitch?" She turned back and scolded him, wanting so desperately to hit him but deciding not to.

"Leave me alone, I'm hurt enough, I don't need this, I'm going to go and spend some time with my real friends."

"Go ahead! Write another stupid book about it why don't you? Call it: Daring Do, the bratty, overreacting, and compulsive nut case, who doesn't believe the stallion she's been sleeping with for months over some stranger in his castle!"

"You were kissing her! Goodbye Ali, I'm going to go and find a real stallion, who'll treat me right."

With that Daring flew away, leaving the flightless stallion behind. She pointed toward Ponyville and flew throughout the remainder of the day, arriving late that night. Rainbow Dash was fast asleep in her bed, curled up amongst tossed sheets and several fluffy pillows to cradle her head.

Against her window was the soft patter of somepony's hoof. When Rainbow Dash didn't wake to the noise, Daring Do opened the window herself, landing onto Rainbow Dash's floor and trotting silently over to the multicolored mare.

"Rainbow Dash, hey, wake up."

After shaking her, Rainbow Dash mumbled and rubbed her eyes, squinting and then smiling tiredly as she began to recognize who was standing over her.

"Daring Do! What are you doing here?"

Daring sighed, hanging her head, and shaking it from side to side, still in disbelief from what she had seen. Daring Do told her friend about Dr. Caballeron and that he was indeed forever a liar, and what she had seen him doing with another mare, more specifically that he had a complete hidden family.

"It's alright Daring, you can sleep here with me for the night, tomorrow I'll find you somewhere for you to stay."

"I'll go sleep on the..."

"No! My bed's big enough. Besides, that's what friends are for."

Rainbow Dash moved to one side, letting Daring Do get in next to her. As Daring closed her eyes, all she could see was the stallion she had trusted with everything, and somepony else.

Back at the castle, things weren't going well. Dr. Caballeron had stood outside of his castle, screaming at the air for Daring Do to come back. When he realized she was truly gone, he went back inside to do front the strange pony and filly.

"Who are you?"

The pony shrugged, and the doctor whipped her across the face with his hoof, knocking her off of her own hooves and to the floor, the filly stepped back in fear.

"Who are you?!"

"How dare you lay your hooves on me!"

"You? You've just ruined my relationship that was months in the making!"

After that, Dr. Caballeron felt a heavy blow to the back of his neck, he fell, unconscious. Both the mare and the fully were in front of him, so he didn't know who had hit him. After what must have been a very long time of lying on the floor unconscious, Dr. Caballeron woke to the scent of smoke.

He pulled his spread eagle hooves closer to his body, trying to put weight on them. He looked above him, seeing the sir itself we it carried a thick grey mash of smoke. Dr. Caballeron looked around, and saw that the hallway was glowing a fiery orange, the light pouring through the open door and almost entering the room he was in.

Both the filly and the mare were gone.

Dr. Caballeron climbed up so he was on his hooves, rushing out to the hallway. He tried to stay low, and outside to room he was over come with grief and fear as he watched the entire hallway charring black. His castle was on fire. Coughing, he made his way down the main staircase, bouncing from wall to wall as he traveled down the entrance hall, eventually arriving at his front door. He found it impossible to open the door. He cursed, rushing down the entrance hall and to one of the first floor rooms.

The doctor felt nauseated and was beginning to experience vertigo, his breath shallow and his eyes watering as panic set in. He made his way to a room beside the entrance hall, picking up a chair and lobbing it out of the window. The glass shattered, the Clair landing outside on the gravel lawn. Dr. Caballeron jumped out of the window, jogging away from his castle and to an area he figured would be safe.

After collecting himself, his eyes returning to normal ad the itching feeling receded, his breath growing normal and no longer labored, the stallion stood upright and faced his castle, seeing massive and white hot flames licking from almost all of the windows on ever floor and half of the first. It was dark out, very late at night or very early in the morning, but that didn't matter: the doctor's castle lit up the night like the sun.

Dr. Caballeron realized his former soldier had struck his revenge. Rather than kidnapping Daring Do, the stallion had simply ruined his former boss's relationship and burnt his castle down, nearly killing Caballeron in the process.

The now homeless stallion curled up on the gravel, hard feeling area, looking at his home, wondering where Daring had gone and how hard it would be to get her back, and how he would be able to explain everything that had happened in such a short period of time.

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	4. An Added Bonus

**An Added Bonus**

* * *

In Ponyville, the weather was rather cloudy and sad, the sky saturated with tears of frustration and months of what Daring Do thought were lies. She spoke to Rainbow Dash all morning, and with every word Rainbow Dash felt more sympathy for her friend, and her despise of Dr. Caballeron grew more intense. Rainbow Dash wished she had done something, like pulled Daring Do out of there the second she realized he was seducing her, but Daring Do passed this notion off, even she was sucked into his pull.

Rainbow Dash took Daring Do to the only place she thought the pegasus would feel safe: sweet apple acres. Everypony felt comfortable there, and after some convincing Rainbow Dash was able to pry Daring Do away from her home, and deliver her to somewhere else. Not that she didn't want to spend time with her friend but because sweet apple acres was a sort of vacation getaway, especially for Daring Do, who would like the time somewhere nice.

"I'm not sure about this Rainbow Dash, I don't want to intrude on anypony. Maybe there's a place I could stay, like an inn, I've got a little bit of money on me."

"No way! Daring Do staying at an inn? You're my friend, and Applejack will be more than happy to give you a room. There she is!"

Rainbow Dash continued over to Applejack, who was bucking apples not too far out on the orchard. The two pegasus approached, one slightly more cautious than the other.

"Well how ya'do Rainbow, and who's your friend?"

"Applejack, you've meet Daring Do before."

"Well I'll be darned, I do remember you! Nice to see ya again Daring, on better terms too I'd reckon."

"Not exactly Applejack, my ponyfriend... I don't want to go into it, but he and I got into a big fight and I can't go back, I needed a place to stay, and..."

"Applejack, can you give a room to Daring in your house? She can do any work around the orchard, just ask her, right Daring?"

Daring Do agreed, she wouldn't take a room for free. Applejack was more than willing to give Daring a room, and after bucking a few more trees, Applejack introduced Daring Do to Granny Smith, and to Big Mac.

After several days of feeling physically uncomfortable as she did work on the orchard. Applejack had started to notice that her friendly houseguest was weak and slow moving, and only when she collapsed in the orchard was action taken.

"Daring, sugar are you alright? What happened, you just... fell down!"

"I... I feel so dizzy and sick."

"We need to get you inside."

Applejack helped Daring Do up, walking with her back to the house. Once inside, Granny Smith lifted her head to see what was happening. Applejack quickly filled her in that Daring Do had collapsed in the fields, and was likely dehydrated.

Daring Do was given a glass of water, but she couldn't keep it down. Standing up from her seat, she rushed to an open window and tossed her lunch. She frowned and hung her head in embarrassment, wiping her lips and apologizing to the apple family.

"I know what she's got going."

"What?"

Both Applejack and Daring Do were curious to know what could possibly be affecting her in this way. That sat and waited for Granny Smith to say what she knew that they didn't, and when she did speak Daring Do's jaw dropped to the floor.

"You're pregnant, aren't you? Ya cute lil mare, who's the luckily stallion?"

Applejack squeaked with excitement, giving Daring Do a big hug and bouncing around. Daring Do just stood stone still, shaking her head from side to side in dismissal,wanting to curl up and cry somewhere.

"No, no this can't be happening to me. Big Mac, do you think I'm..."

"Yup."

He'd also come in to investigate, and if Granny Smith thought that Daring Do was pregnant, than she probably was. Daring insisted someone else check to be sure, so Apple Bloom went running for Twilight Sparkle. She arrived at the orchard, and confirmed that Daring Do was indeed pregnant.

"So Daring, who's the luckily stallion? It's not your ponyfriend, the one you had a fight with right?"

"It is, he's the only stallion I've ever been with and now... we're not even together anymore, oh, what am I going to do Applejack?"

"Well, I'm a traditional kinda mare, so I'd say you need to make it right with that doctor friend of yours, since you two are gonna have a family."

"He... I don't know if that's possible Applejack."

Daring Do hung her head in ashamed defeat, knowing that her lover wouldn't return for her, and even if he did she had no idea what he'd say. Daring Do knew in the back of her mind that Ali could say anything, anything at all, give her any excuse and she'd take him back because she loved him. Even though he had apparently lied to her about his life and who he had been with, he was with her, and from that Daring knew he had been honest when he said he loved her, too.

Far away in the high up mountains, northwest of Ponyville, Dr. Caballeron was waking up after a hard night of sleeping on the gravel that made up his driveway. Before him, sat the charred skeleton of his castle, the interior completely destroyed, leaving only the stone framework. He sighed, standing up and walking over to the still smoking mess. There were no doors to open, so he simply walked in.

The floor was warm, and the floors were covered in soot and pieces of framework and charred bits of wood. He walked down the hallway, to find nothing recognizable. The stairs were badly damaged, and he didn't trust them enough to venture to the second floor.

Dr. Caballeron went to where he hid things of his, a safe that was lying on it's back, under the floor in the kitchen. He had to lift some refuse out of the way, soiling his coat and his short with the black soot. He undid the slightly deformed lock, opening the door and revealing what was inside.

He'd even gotten rid of the treasure he had kept there, the things Daring hadn't even seen or known about, because he had promised her and wanting to provide the most open environment for her as possible. Inside he had one thing that would hold him over for a while. He had some money that was his, and had been for a very long time. The gems were a little dusty, but they'd help him do whatever he had to.

Dr. Caballeron left his home, turning back to look at the formerly beautiful, vine covered façade that he'd walked past for years and never thought too much of. Now, his castle was gone, and the money needed to repair it was also gone. Just as he had stepped from his stoop back onto the gravel, the doctor tripped and fell on his face. He crunched up his nose and rubbed his chin with his hoof, feeling the sharp sting of small rocks pressing against his body. Dr. Caballeron stood to discover her tripped over a filly. She was small, her body a pastel green with a forest green mane, short and poorly kept. Her eyes were orange, and rather sad and worn down looking.

"You're the little monster that came into my house and said you was my daughter! Who paid you?"

When she didn't answer, Dr. Caballeron simply altered his mood from frustrated to severely upset. He was scolding the little filly with an intensity enough to break the sun in two, yelling et her and demanding to know why she had done what she had done.

"Tell me! Why won't you answer me you little... you little idiot?!"

After a few seconds of silence from the filly, Dr. Caballeron rolled his eyes. Her lip started to tremble, and soon enough she was crying, bawling her eyes out right in front of the doctor as he just stood there and didn't know what to do. He sighed, knowing her have to make her feel better, even though she ruined his life.

"Now now, there's no need to cry, at least you've still got a home to go back to, a family..."

"No I don't."

"Who was that, the mare who said she was my wife? Your mother?"

"I don't know, her and some colt asked me to play pretend, they said I could have some food... after we left they bailed on me."

"So you don't have a house either?"

"No."

Dr. Caballeron sat down, sighing and crossing his hooves.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, I don't actually think you're an idiot."

"Thanks, I'm sorry they burned your house down."

"Me too kid, me too. Do you remember the mare who ran away? Yellow, grey mane."

The filly nodded her head, and Dr. Caballeron had an idea in his head.

"Do you think you could tell her the truth if I brought you to her? Could you tell her what really happened?"

"I guess so."

Th filly herself had an idea, that maybe on the way to wherever she was going, she'd get to be adopted by the pony in front of her, and maybe he'd take her in with his mare, and they could be a happy family together. It was a long shot, but a filly can dream.

"My names Dr. Caballeron, but my mare calls me Ali."

"Your a doctor? Like a booboo fixer?"

Dr. Caballeron shook his head from side to side, smiling as they started away from his castle and down the mountainside.

"No, I'm an archeologist."

The filly gave him a look that practically shouted her ignorance, for the second time Dr. Caballeron was upset, but this time he didn't feel angry. He'd had a professor when he went to school, and he saw himself as teaching her what he knew. It was a nice thing to be able to share, he'd shared with Daring, but it was different with a filly who was so young and sweet.

"An archeologist is like... he digs up rocks and treasure."

The filly nodded, excepting the bigger colt's explanation, as it was at a level that she could understand. They made their way down the mountain by nightfall booking a room with two beds at the only inn. The town at the mountain's base was inquisitive as to why the castle on the side of the mountain had burned down, and if anyone were hurt. Dr. Caballeron said everyone was alright. When he got to the room with the filly, he discovered that there was only one bed.

"You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Ali, I'm hungry, do we..."

"I'll go get something soon, will you be alright if I leave you here, alone?"

The filly nodded, and just as Dr. Caballeron went to leave the room, he realized he'd never asked the green filly for her name.

"My name's Olive."

Dr. Caballeron nodded his head, leaving the room and going to pick up some apple and carrots, as well as a lot of water. He returned to the room, knocking of the door so Olive could open it herself. When she didn't answer, he announced that it was him. She didn't answer again. Dr. Caballeron grew worried she'd run away or was taken, so he dropped his groceries and opened the door with his key. Inside, he found that Olive hadn't left, but simply had fallen asleep on top of the bed sheets, curled up in a happy ball beside the pillows.

Dr. Caballeron set the groceries down on the table in the room, going over to the bed and pulling the sheets back. Olive rolled over onto he other side, and he covers her with the sheets, tucking in each side individually. She was resting on the left side of the bed, so he took one of the free pillows and the blanket at the foot of the bed. He made a nest for himself on the floor, curling up and going to sleep. He had Daring on the mind, this was the second night he'd spent without her, and that meant it was the second night she'd fallen asleep angry with him and not knowing of the truth of the matter.

That night passed peaceably with the doctor and his new friend, but in Ponyville, things were going differently. Daring Do had woken up on several occasions because she was feeling sick, and she couldn't help but cry to herself as she laid there in bed. There were so many happy couples of colts and mares, but her special somepony had, as she should had expected, lied to her and destroyed everything they had worked up to in the process.

Applejack tossed awake in the night, going down the hall to the formerly empty room where Daring Do was staying. Once she had knocked and took a few steps in, the mare in bed tried to clean herself up and look more presentable, as if she hadn't been crying.

"Hey Applejack, I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"It's not me you should be worryin' about Daring, why don't you tell me what's going on in that head of yours, it's alright to be upset, but telling someone can really take a load off."

Applejack sat down on the corner of Daring's bed, and she sat up herself so that they could make better eye contact.

"I just can't believe I fell for a bad guy. Applejack, I knew he was a liar, I knew he was and always had been a bad guy who stole, but I wanted to trust him so bad. He promised to go straight for me, and he did! But then, everything fell apart because he had a... second special somepony."

"No way! Golly, that's a big leap in the wrong direction."

"And a daughter."

"Wow."

"He promised he didn't know them but... I didn't believe him. Applejack, you don't have a special somepony right?"

"No, never have... yet."

"Well, I gave him everything, and I mean everything, look at me now, I'm a single mare and I'm... pregnant. Applejack, if you learn anything from my mistakes, I hope you don't do what I did."

"I hope he'll come around, maybe you're just not seeing everything straight, that's a long shot, I know, but just maybe."

Applejack shrugged to herself, hoping that the stallion that had gotten Daring Do pregnant was actually a good pony, but only time would tell that.

"Sleep tight Daring, I'll let you sleep in, have Granny Smith keep your breakfast warm, too."

"Thanks Applejack, have a good nights sleep."

From there they departed each other, and Daring Do could sleep a little hit better knowing that she had a friend out there, one she could tell her secrets to and know they she wouldn't be judged.

The next morning, Dr. Caballeron had breakfast with Olive, and they departed for where he thought she might be. After half a days walk, the doctor and his new companion arrived at the former home of Daring Do. It was run down as it always was, and from the moment he walked through the door, Dr. Caballeron knew that she hadn't been there since he'd taken her to his castle.

"She isn't here."

Dr. Caballeron hung his head, Daring Do was a pegasus, she could go anywhere she wanted to, and no matter what the situation was, she'd be able to get there really fast.

"Does she have any friends daddy?"

"I don't know, I mean... what did you call me?"

"Oh, I said... Ali."

"No, you said daddy."

The filly looked down at her hooves, shuffling them around and giggling to herself nervously under her breath.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I promise."

Dr. Caballeron sighed, reaching out with his hoof and hugging her against his side.

"It's alright Olive, you're all I've got now."

After a few minutes of silent thought and a soft lingering hug, the conversation resumed as to where Daring Do would have gone after leaving the castle.

"Are you sure she doesn't have any friends?"

"Rainbow Dash, you won't know her, and I don't know where she lives."

"THE RAINBOW DASH?! I know her! She lives in Ponyville!"

"What? How so you know her?"

"Well, I don't actually know her, I had a friend who was a pegasus, and Rainbow Dash is pretty popular in that group... she's a really good flyer I guess."

"Oh Olive, darling, you're a genius! Thank you sweetie, now we know where to go! She must have gone there to be with her friends!"

Dr. Caballeron picked her up and spun her around, giving the small green filly a big kiss on the top of his head as he danced around like a mad pony in Daring's old living room. With that, the two left to go to Ponyville.

It would be a few days for them to walk, as Olive's legs weren't too long and she tired easily, also because Dr. Caballeron didn't want to spend all his money on train tickets. As they went, Olive would sing traveling sounds that she'd learned throughout her life. She also adopted calling Dr. Caballeron daddy, and he let her do it.

"Hey Olive, when do you think you're going to get your cutie mark? What makes you special sweetie?"

Olive shrugged. She told him she didn't know what she liked to do yet, thus why she didn't have a cutie mark.

"Mine's a skull made of gold with gems, see? Daring's is a compass rose. We both like adventure and the hunt for treasure and all sorts of cool stuff, maybe you'll get one like ours."

"Really?"

Olive's eyes lit up at the idea of having curie mark to match Daring and Dr. Caballeron, she love nothing more to be just like them.

"Maybe sweetie, maybe."

After three days of slow paced walking through the forests of Equestria, through rain and wind, dirt and mud, Dr. Caballeron and Olive arrive just outside of Ponyville. He took a big gulp in, afraid as to what he might find there. Olive could sense his muscles growing tense, and she could practically hear his heart pleating out of his chest and out his mouth.

"Don't worry daddy, she's sure to listen to you, I'll help just like I said!"

"Thanks Olive, I hope she'll listen to me, I have no idea what I'm going to say to her."

"Whatever you do, don't lie."

Dr. Caballeron chucked nervously, rubbing the backside of his neck. Both he and Olive arrived at Ponyville that same morning, walking into the town center, amongst the many ponies.

"So, what are we doing now daddy?"

"We need to find Rainbow Dash."

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	5. A Resolution For All

**A Resolution For All**

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Daring Do was puttering around the orchard, feeling a little bloated. As a pregnant mare, she was indeed growing in the belly region, and when she went into town with Applejack or Rainbow Dash, if anypony noticed her baby bump they'd congratulate her.

Daring felt more and more antisocial, not wanting to talk about her pregnancy. It was a good thing to everypony but her. She wouldn't have a family, she was dealt a broken home and a filly or colt she didn't know if she wanted to have. She was still cute, and on occasion she considered flirting with the stallions she ran into. Then she remembered something, Daring was pregnant, stallions don't want that.

After a few days of staying with the orchard and little improvement occurring, Applejack ran out of ideas to cheer her mare friend up. She decided to go and ask some of her friends what to do, and her first instinct was to go and see Rarity.

Applejack went to the Carousel Boutique after doing some work, knowing that the dirt on her hooves would likely offend Rarity, but nonetheless she had a mission to complete. Applejack went through the door, the overhead bell ringing happily at the notion of another potential client.

Rarity came out from behind a curtain, smiling and greeting her friend as she always did, nicely, but critically.

"Applejack, it's so good to see you! How's Daring doing? Rainbow Dash told me she was feeling down when she first got here, and... you're covered in dirt darling, ew stay back, how do you live like that?"

"Rarity, Daring is feeling really down and I was wondering if you had any idea to cheer her up, I'm all dried up..."

"Oh I've got a marvelous idea, I could take her to the spa with me! A spa day for just us mares, Twilight would love to go as well, and you, Applejack, would you like to go to the spa for a day? Perhaps tomorrow?"

"Me? Well Rarity, I guess if it's for Daring..."

"Excellent! It's a date then!"

"Alrighty, I'll get on the horn to Twilight and tell Daring."

"Meet me here, tomorrow morning at sunrise, we'll walk over there and get the treatment of a lifetime!"

Applejack left the boutique, happy that Rarity had not only thought of what would be a rather good idea, but also gave insight to the possibility of Twilight Sparkle and Applejack herself as possible attendees.

Applejack wasn't one for a spa day, but Daring Do would likely feel more comfortable if Applejack were there, considering they'd been turning into rather good friends as more and more time passed.

At Twilight Sparkle's tree home, Applejack knocked on the door and was ushered inside by the purple maned occupant.

"Hello Applejack, what can I do for you?"

"Rarity, Daring, and I planned a spa day for tomorrow morning to cheer her up, do you think you'd want to go with us? Rarity thought you'd be interested and I'd have to agree, even I'm going."

"I'd love to spend a day at the spa with Daring Do! Have you thought to ask Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy?"

"Um, no, but I'll go ask them right after this, we could all go!"

Applejack went around and collected the information she needed, and all of her friends agreed to a day at the spa the following morning to cheer Daring Do up. Once Applejack had retuned home to sweet apple orchards, she found Daring still wandering around amongst the trees, having no purpose or reason for being there.

Applejack walked over to her, not wanting to surprise her and also not wanting to interrupt the mare' strain of thought.

"Hey Applejack, where have you been all day? I asked Big Mac and he didn't know..."

"All my friends agreed to go to the spa tomorrow morning with you Daring, we think it'd be a good idea to get your mind off all this bad stuff going on."

"Why'd you go behind my back Applejack! I don't want to go anywhere..."

Applejack took a step back, thinking for a moment as the words simply couldn't come to her.

"Gee, I'm sorry Daring, I was just trying to cheer you up..."

Daring Do shook her head from side to side, realizing she'd snapped on a friend wi out a reason, she was being moody and that wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry Applejack, you're right, I should get out and a sap day would be good for me, just wake me up whenever..."

"We thought tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn."

"Thanks Applejack, I'll love it, I know I will I'm just... moody."

The next morning, Applejack woke up Daring Do and they made their way to the boutique where all of their friends were waiting.

"Hey Daring, how've ya been?"

Rainbow Dash was her closed friend, and also a fellow pegasus. They spoke to each other on the way to the spa, asking each other how they were feeling and other pony stuff. When they arrived at the spa Rarity requested specific treatments for everyone, and before they knew it everypony was being treated and felt wonderful.

As they were being treated, and as Daring Do grew more and more relaxed, a different sort of thing was occurring in Ponyville. Dr. Caballeron and Olive were walking to the center of Ponyville, entering the slow paced and happy lives of many ponies.

"Excuse me?"

Dr. Caballeron reached out to stop somepony who was passing by, and them are stopped and turned to him, willing to help the stubble faced stallion with a little filly at his hooves. Dr. Caballeron wasn't bad looking, so many a mare would be willing to help him.

"Yes?"

"Do you know a mare named Rainbow Dash? I'm looking for her, if you could point me in the direction of her home, that would be very... helpful."

"Oh, she lives just over there."

The mare pointed down the road behind her, to a house that only a pegasus could live in. Dr. Caballeron thanked her, walking to the house and stopping outside and looking up.

Only a pegasus from Cloudsdale would live in something like that. A floating cloud house that had the design of something ancient, his off the ground and secluded, shaped from the softest and whitest clouds with rainbow waterfalls.

"How are we going to get up there?"

Dr. Caballeron shrugged, admitting that he had no idea.

"Why Olive, why do I love a pegasus? She could be up there right now, and I can't fly, or stand on clouds."

Dr. Caballeron sighed, sitting down with Olive on the soft green grasses of Ponyville, and waiting for someone to enter or leave the floating palace.

Across Ponyville at the spa, the ponies were just leaving the spa after a happy more info relaxation. Applejack had parted from Daring Do, as she wanted to go home with Rainbow Dash so they could spend some more time together.

"Well that was nice wasn't it? Rarity even fixed your mane up a little so you look extra beautiful today."

Daring smiled, rolling her eyes and blushing.

"I don't know why, she was so nice to me, everypony was just so nice to me Rainbow. I wish I had friends like yours."

"Welp, now you do!"

As they flew back to Rainbow Dash's home, both of them spotted somepony lying on the ground just outside of Rainbow Dash's property area. They both gasped in surprise when they realized it was Dr. Caballeron. They flew out of his sight line, hoping that he hadn't noticed them.

"That's him Daring! How did he find us?"

"I don't know Rainbow, what am I going to do, I don't want to see him!"

"I'll go take care of him, give that stallion a piece of my mind!"

"No, no don't... I just face him, I'm going to need to eventually."

Rainbow Dash had started stretching to limber herself up for a little fight, and then Daring Do shot her idea out of the sky. She tilted her had to one side, lifting her hooves as if to ask why. Daring sighed to herself, slowly flying past Rainbow Dash to where Dr. Caballeron was waiting. She was flying up from behind.

At first, she could hear what he was saying, and could even see who he was talking to.

"Daddy I'm tired!"

"I know Olive, me too, but we have to wait here like I said' okay?"

Olive and Dr. Caballeron rubbed noses happily, both smiling at each other with their eyes closed as they snuggled and waited for somepony. Daring's heart dropped when her fears were realized, her Ali had been with another mare before her, and she wasn't the first time he'd impregnated 'his' mare.

"So, you really do have a daughter."

Dr. Caballeron jumped up, turning around and displacing Olive, who rolled over and ended up a few feet away, rubbing her head and pouting.

"No, no Daring I don't, this is Olive, remember? She's the one that came..."

"I remember."

"Hi, my name's Olive!"

Daring Do dropped her head, feeling completely embarrassed and disgusted with not only the doctor, but herself. Rainbow Dash had flown over and was now hovering a few dozen feet away, watching and listening.

Dr. Caballeron looked to Daring's belly, and noticed that she was a little plump. There's a difference between fat and pregnant, almost every stallion can tell the difference, and Dr. Caballeron was no exception. He smiled, and then stopped, realizing that he hadn't won anything just yet.

"Daring, are you pregnant... by me?"

"Yeah, when I said I'd never been with anypony I wasn't lying, unlike someponies."

"Daring I wouldn't lie to you, I promise I didn't, tell her Olive, tell her what you told me."

All eyes were on the filly, and she was cracking beneath the pressure. She looked to Dr. Caballeron, who willed her on. She looked to Daring Do, and she asked for the truth. Olive wanted to one his daughter, to be anypony's daughter, but saying that would hurt her new daddy. She sighed. Shuffling her hooves and telling everypony what she knew.

"They made me do it, they told me I was going to get food if I pretended like they said, after I did it they left me there. I stayed all night and I found my daddy... I found Ali in the morning. He helped me."

"So somepony really did make you lie? You're not Ali's real daughter?"

The filly shook her head no, and was on the verge of tears. She had practically admitted that she had no family and no purpose or position in anypony's life. Dr. Caballeron knelt down and gave her a hug, rubbing noses with his adopted daughter and holding her until she felt better.

He stood up then, taking threw steps forward to Daring Do. He too, was on the verge of tears, and so was she. They hugged each other, smiling and eventually crying. The hug was warm and well intended, both of them very much in love and feeling repaired after a harsh tear took one away from another.

"Daring I'm so sorry you couldn't trust me, I love you gorgeous, they burned my castle down Daring, I didn't have anything after you left me, I want to be with you forever now, we can be a family, I'll... I could use my education and teach archeology, or... I don't know Daring, but I love you."

"I should have trusted you Ali, I just ran off and left you for dead, I felt so alone without you. I want this baby and I want you in my life, we can even keep Olive, if she wants. I could write another book to make some more money... anything, we'll get by."

"I love you Daring, I'm so sorry... I'll never steal again, just don't leave me alone."

"I promise Ali."

"Wait, so I can stay?"

Dr. Caballeron let go of Daring after several cute and soft kisses, looking to Olive and smiling at the little green filly. She looked up at him with a curious smile, and the doctor laughed, giving her head a little rub as she nestled up against his hooves.

"You're sticking with me sweetie, Daring and I will take extra special care of you, Olive."

Rainbow Dash wiped at her eyes. She hadn't been crying, but she was really happy to see one of her friends making up with the stallion she loved, knowing now that it was all just a big misunderstanding and that Dr. Caballeron was indeed a good pony.

"I'm happy for you Daring, you too... Ali."

"Thanks Rainbow Dash, I would have never found out where you lived if it weren't for Olive, apparently you're a pretty famous pegasus, a good flyer."

"Good? I'm better than good, I'm awesome! Thanks for saying I'm famous Olive, and I hope that your new parents will be happy together for a long time."

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash."

**CONCLUSION**

Daring Do had returned to her home in the middle of the forest, where she could be secluded with her new family. Dr. Caballeron insisted the home be repaired so it was more slightly and neat, and Daring agreed after a short fuss. Handy-ponies fixed up the house, and added to the back so that there were more bedrooms.

Olive was enjoying her new life and new family, and she was also enjoying her new brother and sister. Her brother was a pegasus like her mother, and her sister was a filly just like her, a normal earth pony with two not so normal parents.

Dr. Caballeron had found work as a professor, and was enjoying his new profession. Although it was to as much fun and it didn't have any more danger, the job payed well and he wasn't doing anything his mare didn't approve of.

Daring Do had written another book as A. K. Yearling. She didn't write an addition to Daring Do, of coarse, she wrote a separate book, entailing her adventures as a mare in search for love, and the handsome foreign doctor that swept her away.

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